A dispatch rider with the 2nd canadian infantry division wrestles his. As the eldest son i have the privilege to have inherited my dads. In any case, a typical british or canadian infantry section in ww2 had 10 men, made up of a two man bren gun team, and 8 with 303 rifles, and perhaps a thompson. List of infantry weapons and equipment of the canadian. From huddersfield, yorkshire b 26324 d 294 army no.
Or, if you know a wwii buff, you can pick them up some old equipment for christmas. These boots have been made with a rubber dms sole instead of the original leather sole which makes it safer and more comfortable to wear. Ww2 british,canadian,frech,belgium wool beret wbadge. Arms and weapons describes the organization of canadian ground, naval and air forces, as well as medical services between 1939 and 1945. World war ii was one of the most significant wars in us history, and you can have a piece of that history by purchasing wwii equipment for sale on ebay. Motorcyclists sign on to act as volunteer despatch riders. Various shots of the canadian despatch riders being filmed by army cameramen probably for canadian newsreel. A despatch rider or dispatch is a military messenger, mounted on horse or motorcycle and occasionally in egypt during world war i, on camels in the uk despatch rider is also a term used for a motorcycle courier despatch riders were used by armed forces to deliver urgent orders and messages between headquarters and military units. Dispatch riders dr boots by gse soldier of fortune military.
Bbc ww2 peoples war a few memories of a despatch rider. Women from the south african army show off their motorcycle skills. Also was there offensive biker units and what kind of bikes did the germans use you know the one with the side car all help is a. Joined up in 5th november 1942, demobbed 23rd march 1946. Ww2 british canadian cromwell made dispatch riders helmet.
Get the best deals on original ww ii british collectibles when you shop the. Apr 16, 2014 in any case, a typical british or canadian infantry section in ww2 had 10 men, made up of a two man bren gun team, and 8 with 303 rifles, and perhaps a thompson. Ww2 canadian group belonging to native veteran james lavalley. Not included in the picture is his large unit photo. Diemacocolt canada c7 rifle canadian army standard issue assault rifle c7 based off the colt m16a2, the c7 featured an a1 carrying handle and a2 brass deflector. Top secret messages could bring dispatch riders right to the front lines. They are primarily an officers weapon, though also commonly issued to certain other ranks in specialized roles, who are deemed to require a firearm but for whom a rifle would be inappropriate, such as cavalry troopers, dispatch riders, armoured vehicle crews, and so on. Canadian army manual of training infantry platoon weapons 1953, guns, shooting. Most effective gun of ww2 the sten gun war, economic. A 1944 canadian battledress to a rcasc corporal in 21st army group 4th canadian armoured division.
Dispatch riders, on indians, bsas or harleys, were given one, as were armoured car crews. Wikipedia has a brief entry on dispatch riders but that article does not cover the training of those riders. The number 51 on the maroon background on the front of the helmet was the vehicle number of the lord strathconas horse, 5th canadian armoured division. First canadian army soon noted that fibre crash helmets were being worn by british army motorcyclists. Despatch rider frank shaughnessy of the 2nd antitank.
War machine gun unit, given a helping hand by soldiers of the canadian. Ww2 british army dispatch riders pantaloons world war. The german butterfly bomb was a highly effective twokilogram antipersonnel weapon dropped by aircraft. Army despatch riders go on a reliability run over rough ground and steep hills. A very rare late war named canadian group for the canadian forces preparing for the invasion of japan.
Original ww2 canadian dispatch riders helmet with camo net ebay. This is a canadian made dispatch riders helmet, dated 1944 size 7 14. Canadian dispatch riders in wwii last week, we managed to dig up some footage of british motorcycles being tested for use in world war i. In the first and second world war despatch riders on motorcycles. See more ideas about military, guns and ammo and bolt action rifle. Dispatch riders drs even delivered carrier pigeons in wicker. On ebay, youll find a large selection of affordable wwii us army field gear for sale, with many of the.
The only thing that the sten had going for it was weight, and the folding butt stock. Its unlikely that a dispatch runner uses a bike with sidecar and mounted mg since hes acting all on his own, hence the solokrad. A passing despatch rider reads a beachhead sign warning against butterfly bombs, normandy, 1944. Jack albert leonard, canadian infantry dispatch rider, wwii, europe british. Lss of canadian despatch riders driving up to a truck on motorbikes.
Four motorcycle bren gun teams of the royal montreal regiment taking part in a. Although the foot clutch and handgearshift made them unpopular with the british riders who were unfamiliar with that. S a women despatch riders aka south african women despatch riders. Jul 23, 2015 riders had to deliver the message via the most direct route, in the shortest possible time. During ww2 british motorcyclist were to be found in all brigades and divisions preforming a variety of different roles from a dispatch rider delivering messages in the royal signals from unit headquarters and royal artillery delivering messages to gun batteries,road traffic duty in the royal military police and a general motorcyclist in most corp passing on urgent. I had at first thought this to be a harleydavidson and had sent the. Canadian soldiers canadian army royal canadian navy war dogs historical images d day military history armed forces world war. Behind him can be seen a lewis machine gun of the first world war uk 1940. Royal army service corps in the second world war 19391945. Designed to be fitted with a sidecar, it was the only british military bike to provide drive to the sidecar wheel.
Military history of canada during world war ii wikipedia. Just after they pulled up behind their own lines alongside allied guns. The group includes his 5 ww2 service medals, two 1995 native veterans medals, his legion beret, several photos, native veterans pins, and his 2004 obituary. The harleydavidson wlc model the wl was the engine type and the c was for canadian was among the motorcycles driven by canadian dispatch riders and military police in the second world war and korean war. See more ideas about canadian army, war and war dogs. Some small discolouration in the neck that i tried to get in the photos. Information during both world wars was on a needtoknow basis, leaving dispatch riders in the dark as to what each message contained. Newsreels shot between 1940 and 1946 by the canadian army film unit for presentation to servicemen and women. Oct 14, 2012 newsreels shot between 1940 and 1946 by the canadian army film unit for presentation to servicemen and women. The royal air force used a considerable number of harleys. A canadian dispatch rider nicknamed don rs because of the phonetic alphabet at that time. I think its probably a case of many soldiers were given a motorbike to carry out their duties, but not all would necessarily be r signals dispatch riders. It involved most of the worlds nationsincluding all of the great powerseventually forming two opposing military alliances. Mint coat size 8 mint condition have found a large lot of dispatch riders coats all sizes.
It is still not clear if these were supplied from canadian stocks or if they were delivered by the us under the lendlease act. The british royal navy wanted women who could not only ride motorcycles, but also maintain their own machines. Harry watts the dispatch rider motorcycles in the war. The leeenfield rifle and bren light machinegun lmg were the basic canadian infantry weapons, but firepower was supplemented by grenades, submachine guns also called machine carbines like the sten gun, mortars, vickers medium machineguns, antitank weapons such as the 6pounder and piat projector, infantry, antitank, and light antiaircraft guns. King left accepts a pigeon message from corporal j honley of the royal canadian corps of signals somewhere in england. Well worth your viewing time if you are interested in this type of motorcycle history. Dispatch riders literally hauled the mail on all manner of road conditions in the european and pacific theaters. Within the wehrmacht you got to differentiate between dispatch riders kradmelder and regular motorbike troops kradschutzen, usually battalion strength. The female dispatch motorcycle riders of world war ii take a look at many of my most popular builds specialized scrambler concepts like by all of the british navys dispatch riders were women, sending men previously tasked with the job to battle the reich on the front. Dispatch riders were issued a special pair of boots and breeches to ride motorbikes during ww2.
Wiki text used hells angels keeping the love of the sport alive and well. This is a very rare ww2 canadian army dispatch riders battledress set and helmet for a corporal of the royal canadian signals assigned to the pacific theatre command. It had the length of bull of an a1 stock but had the profile of an a2 stock. Last week, we managed to dig up some footage of british motorcycles being tested for use in world war i. Motorbike dispatch riders the unsung heroes of two world. On the italian war front, that 1944 motorcyclist article reads, dispatch rider sections, partly equipped with motorcycles and partly with jeeps, have ably. The first women chosen for dispatch duty were wellknown competition riders from local motorcycle race circuits. Canadian army newsreel dispatch riders train for action. Riders had to deliver the message via the most direct route, in the shortest possible time. Aug 2, 2014 despatch rider frank shaughnessy of the 2nd antitank regiment, royal canadian artillery r. During world war ii despatch riders were often referred to as don rs from phonetic spelling for d in dr in commonwealth. Korea era canadian army em necktie original mint military tie 1950s.
The norton 633 was a more powerful version of the 16h. Prior to 1940, canadian dispatch riders drs wore no special protective headgear, other than the standard steel helmet, when combat conditions so dictated. For riders, enlistment as a dispatcher lasted a year, or however long the war lasted. Seems to be a set up for a cameraman in the foreground. Containers holding between six and 108 bombs were released from an aircraft and would then burst open, scattering their contents over a wide area. See more ideas about wwii, ww2 uniforms and world war two. Yet despite the odds stacked against them, dispatch riders held no rank and were rarely acknowledged for their important role in the war. Made for closequarter combat, it is semiautomatic, recoiloperated, and. Enlistment did not fall under the jurisdiction of conscription.
Learn about the weapons used by canadian armed forces caf members during training and operations. The boots were a high leg and had 3 metal buckles on top plus a reinforced leather toe for protection. Cooper of the 9th canadian infantry brigade, riding a norton wd16h motorcycle, carpiquet, france, 12 july 1944. It also featured a canadian specific colt fixed buttstock. List of military equipment of the canadian army during the second. Lieutenant colonel lessard of the royal canadian dragoons considered the weapon an unnecessary burden for the mounted infantryman, and had theirs returned to stores, while lieutenant colonel t. Motorbike dispatch riders the unsung heroes of two world wars. While the canadian armed forces were eventually active in nearly every theatre of war, most combat was centred in italy, northwestern europe, and the north atlantic. Books written about a specific corps in the organizational sense rather than the operational sense, i. As wartime need increased, more women were trained, many of whom served with great distinction. Canadian dispatch riders in wwiilast week, we managed.
Unissued tunic, but has several moth rips and nips, in size 52 european, with nice wool shoulder boards. I have attached a photograph of my uncle harold taken somewhere over there italy, i think. Evans of the canadian mounted rifles considered the weapons quite useful, especially for scouting and house searches. At age 19, having completed basic training at fort william, now known as thunder bay, harry watts official position with the canadian armoured corps initially began as trooper. Ww2 canadian dispatch rider battledress and helmet set. Canadian dispatch riders in wwiilast week, we managed to dig up some footage of british motorcycles being tested for use in world war i. The following article on the canadian army in world war 2 canadian army ww2 is an excerpt from barrett tillman dday encyclopedia. While in the military the riders were paid 35 shillings per week the equivalent of. Cavalry units were initially considered essential offensive elements of a military force, but over the course of the war, the vulnerability of horses to modern machine gun and artillery fire reduced their utility on the battlefield.
Ww2 1945 dated battle dress canadian provost corps dispatch rider ebay. On the 6th march 1942 i became a dispatch rider group d class with an increase in pay, moving then onto largs in scotland to become a part of 78dr section 1st army signals. Canadian soldier trainee riding a norton motorcycle during a despatch riders. Despatch riders doug reid and norman given of the 9th canadian infantry brigade checking the route of a convoy taking part in a training exercise, england on may 17, 1944. Four motorcycle bren gun teams of the royal montreal regiment. A good original 1945 dated british army dispatch riders pantaloonsbreeches. This article needs additional citations for verification. A unique document of canadas role in the war on the front lines as well as on the. Sep 5, 2018 canadian dispatch riders during war on motorcycles. Can fire armourpiercing tracer ammunition from armoured vehicles or the ground. On land it took almost three years, from september 1939 to august 1942 before ground troops could take part in major operations against the enemy. The videos below show us some of the training that the riders underwent during the second world war by us, british and canadian soldiers.
Details about original ww2 canadian dispatch riders helmet with camo net. The use of horses in world war i marked a transitional period in the evolution of armed conflict. Motorcycles played a major role in both world wars, of course, perhaps even more so in world war ii. The image offers a clear view on the 42wlc model with auxiliary tool box on the front fender. I too am trying to gather some information on the canadian armys dispatch riders in wwii. Mcdowell of the 48th highlanders of canada delivering a message to the battalions advanced headquarters, regalbuto, italy, august 4, 1943 le soldat et estafette h.
Unit histories encompass those books written about a specific unit, generally a regiment of armour, artillery, or engineers, a battalion of infantry, etc. See more ideas about wwii, british motorcycles and vintage motorcycles. Heavy machine gun this flexible heavy machine gun is belt fed, and can fire armour piercing tracer ammunition from armoured vehicles or the ground. Various shots of the men smiling to camera, marching, talking, one of the men posing on his bike etc. A canadian despatch rider taking cover from snipers, buron, france, 7 july.
They are in excellent order with no damage but just minor surface wear in places, all original buttons are in place and good and the original size label is to the rear for sizes see photos it has a printed date of 1945 and an ink stamped date of july 1945. Video wwii army motorcycle dispatch riders had brass. The canadian army, like its british counterpart, used the 16h for dispatch work. From my previous linky our thinking was that as we had motor bikes we would join the royal signals as despatch riders which we did. An old film from the canadian army shows the militarys motorcycle training program. Junkers ju 87b1 luftwaffe, ww2 aircraft, military aircraft, scale models. Ww2 1945 dated battle dress canadian provost corps, dispatch rider.
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